Closure
by GingerLover123
Summary: While Tanis and the group are out exploring, they find a young woman who might or might not be absolutely insane. How will Tanis deal with such a discovery? Will Tasselhoff respond to the flirtatious behaviour? How will Goldmoon take to this odd girl? I do not own any of the DragonLance series. R&R please! (And it does get better by the way)
1. Slow Starts

Tanis warily observed the human teen they had found living in the ruins of Solace. She was odd, of that he was certain- maybe even completely insane. But is she dangerous, he asked himself. Shaking his head, he continued down the trail with the group, paranoia and benefit of the doubt causing indecision in his already occupied mind. He would think about her later.

Tasslehoff hadn't seen the mysterious girl approach him, which was something quite shocking to the kender as he felt someone poke his shoulder.  
Turning around, he was greeted by a gaunt, oval face full of mischief and innocence. He hadn't the slightest clue what to make of her.

"You're Tasslehoff, right?" she said, her voice somewhat faint. He nodded, trying not to appear fondling of her; when Goldmoon had approached her, she shrank from the cleric's touch, fire in her eyes. Tas's thoughts were interrupted when she spoke again.

"I'm Juniper," she said, smiling. It was lopsided, not quite fitting her face. Tas decided then that he liked this mysterious girl. He smiled back, sticking out his hand. She took his hand in hers and, her grin becoming dark and disturbing, pulled him against her.

"Whoops," she whispered innocently in his ear. "I tripped."

The kender wasn't so sure of this. Stumbling awkwardly, they started to pull away from each other. But not before she laughed softly and ever so slightly stroked his rear end. He startled, swearing loudly.

Juniper fell forward when he jumped, landing right in his arms. Gently pushing her away, he gained his balance, and then supported the girl so she could stand.

"Everything okay?" Caramon called, fearing the kender had done something. A laugh, rusty and creaky as an old axe, was their response.  
"Sorry," called the young human girl, "I can be such a klutz."

As they continued walking, Juniper turned and looked at Tasslehoff and-  
Dear Gods, Tas thought. She winked!  
Other than a few innocent glances, Juniper didn't even acknowledge the kender after that. Shaking his head, Tas decided he was safest standing beside Tanis.

~_Later~_

At camp that night, Tanis saw the clumsy human girl approach Tasslehoff. A smile he didn't like was on her face, sinister and amused. He would talk to the kender later.

Near the middle of the night, Tasslehoff Burrfoot approached Tanis cautiously, eyeing the darkness around him. Gently tapping the half-elf on the back, he tried to appear inconspicuous.

"Tanis," he whispered. Turning abruptly, Tanis sighed with relief when he saw Tas.

"What's wrong, Tas?" he said softly, disturbed by the kender's reluctance. Looking around, the lithe kender leaned forward.  
"I think Juniper is going to kill me."  
"WHAT?!" he nearly screamed.  
"Shhhhh!" Tas shushed him quickly, eyes flashing around. After a few seconds, he continued. "She said that...um...that she was going to tie me up," he whispered. "And then, she-" swallowing, he continued, looking at his feet awkwardly. "She said she was going to hit me."

"Is that exactly what she said?" asked Tanis.  
"Well, um, she actually said she was going to whip me, and then she started saying something about, well, syrup. Why is that?" he asked innocently.  
Tanis was glad it was dark, so that Tas couldn't see him blushing.

"Err, Tas," he started reluctantly, "she isn't going to kill you. If she talks to you again about...this... then tell me, alright?" he said softly.

"Well, if you really trust in her, Tanis, I do too, but...can we make Caramon guard my tent?"  
Smiling, Tanis wondered what the big oaf would say to this. What a story he'd have for wine night.  
*_*


	2. Banshee's Tears

"Flint, why do you look at me so?" said Juniper, trying not to appear amused... Flint cast her a dubious glance, grumbling quietly to himself. "What's that?" she said, raising her eyebrow in mock confusion.  
"I said that Tasslehoff better watch his back with you around," he growled.  
Smiling perversely, she looked in Tasslehoff's general direction.  
"He'd better watch other things, too."

Feeling a chill, Tasslehoff shivered slightly. Juniper's laughter reached his ears like a malicious lullaby.

Tas knew he wouldn't sleep. He was just too tense. Sighing, he rolled out of his little cot and walked outside, avoiding the snoring lump of dwarf on the ground.

"And Flint says he doesn't snore," the kender whispered, shaking his head. As he found a nice tree stump to sit on, he heard the oddest noise; it sounded of lullabies to a restless infant, of wails of dying men, of wind rustling the bronze leaves of autumn. It was beautifully haunting. Creeping towards a small thicket on the edge of camp, he peeked inside.  
And what he saw amazed him.

Juniper was bathing in a stream, soap bubbles all around her. Tas was unsure what to make of the situation. Maybe he should go back and stomp on the ground so she would hear him coming. Good, he thought. Just as he was about to do this, he remembered why he had come.

The singing.

Crouching down, he slowly walked towards the reservoir, enchanted by her woeful voice. As he approached her, he forgot himself and stepped on a twig; wincing, he saw her jump, her voice catch. Whirling around, her eyes picked out his light blue leggings.  
"Wh-what are you doing?" she said, her tone making Tas curse himself for scaring her.  
"I-I heard you singing," he said, looking down in embarrassment.  
"Oh," was all she said. After a few seconds of silence, he dared a glance up at her; she wasn't the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, but she was…something. Of that he was sure. Her long, mahogany hair veiled her face. She had managed to cover herself in suds so that only above her shoulders was visible.

Suddenly, Tasslehoff realized just how vulnerable she was. It didn't even occur to him that he could take advantage of her, only that she was scared and needed his help.

"Hey, it's, um, it's okay. Don't worry. Tanis won't let anything get us, he's always real good at protecting everyone," he said softly. She shook her head, refusing to be comforted.

"You don't understand," she whispered so quietly, Tas almost didn't hear her... "It's my entire fault, all of it," she repeated this to herself, over and over. Her words became sobs, and soon she was wailing inhumanly. Tas ran down to her, his only thought that nothing and no one should experience this kind of pain.

Holding Juniper as she cried, Tasslehoff gently stroked her hair, whispering meaningless words to her.  
"Shh-shh, it's gonna be okay, don't worry, we'll be okay, don't cry, please, please," he didn't notice Tanis approach since he was so focused on making her stop hurting.

"Tas," said Tanis gently, laying a hand on the kender's shoulder. "Go back to camp."  
Tas looked at Tanis, his face holding no recognition. "Tas," said Tanis again, sterner this time. Slowly Tasslehoff came out of his trance. Shaking his head, he clung tighter to the crying girl.

"No, Tanis, I can't leave her," he said. Juniper's body was wracked with heart-wrenching sobs. Sighing, the half-elf sat next to them. He reached over and patted the miserable girl's shoulder, wondering what could make such a strong, stocky girl thin and weak as a twig. He didn't like the answers.


	3. Reminders & Regrets A New-Found Friend

In the morning, Goldmoon approached the young girl sitting on a milking stool very cautiously; she didn't want to frighten her again.

"Are you feeling alright?" she said, gently wrapping her arm around Juniper. Much to her surprise, the girl gave a genuine smile.

"I'll be alright, Goldmoon. Thank you for asking." Patting the cleric's back, she stood and began walking towards Tas. Immediately, Caramon and Sturm surrounded the kender, trying to shield him from her horrific ways.

"So, everyone says that you are reeking of awesome power and fearsome-ness," said Juniper to Raistlin. He looked at her like she had lost whatever grip on sanity she had been clinging to. "Can you give me wings?" she said in an exited tone.

He glared at her, his hourglass eyes shining. "Fine, fine, be a spoilsport!" she said angrily. "I just wanted to fly!" Sighing in disgust, Raistlin went back to ignoring her. As a devious plan took root in her mind, she heard someone yelp. Recognizing the voice, she was at the source of noise in a matter of seconds.

"No," she whispered. Tears ran down her face, stinging her eyes. "No! Get up now, damn it! Get up!" she was at the kender's side, holding his head. As he looked into her eyes, he smiled.

"Poisoned lock," Tasslehoff whispered. Sobbing, she clung to him. No, she screamed in her head. On the outside, she could only cry. Tas winced, groaning in agony. "Please," he whispered," don't cry. It's alright. I-" he was cut off as a spasm wracked his body. "Please, end it for me. It hurts...so bad...it hurts..."

Shaking her head, Juniper sobbed. Memories of the men at Icronanius danced through her head; men screaming in agony as their friends and wives and children died before their eyes. Before _her_ eyes. Again she saw them on their knees, begging for her to choose them. Save the children, called many; save me, called others; save our brothers and sisters, our parents and friends, us. Save us, save us, please…

Screaming, she sat up in her bed, staring around the tent tensely; then she realized she had been dreaming. Reaching up and touching her face, she found the tears had been real enough, but what about someone screaming? Growing in a morally-shaky area most of her life, Juniper knew that many sounds heard in dreams were real. Especially screams. Jumping out of her tent, she ran to find the rattle-brained kender.

"Really, I tripped and fell. That's all!" said Tas, nearly shouting in frustration.  
"I honestly don't care. But you're still sleeping in my tent tonight," she said firmly. Goldmoon, Tika, Tanis, and Sturm blushed. Caramon and Riverwind laughed; Raistlin proved just how well his skills were at ignoring the entire world outside of his spell book. Flint glared at this rash, cheeky human girl. She didn't notice any of it.

"Fine, if you won't stay in my tent, then I'll keep watch outside of yours," she said stubbornly. Flouncing outside in a temper that even impressed Tika, she took her place by the entrance and refused to move.

"Well, isn't she something!" Caramon said, smiling. At the ice old glares, his cheeriness faltered.

"She is indeed," rasped the mage, startling everyone as he slapped his book closed. Clearing his throat, Tanis walked outside, silently standing by Juniper.

"Well," said Tas slowly, "I guess you all can leave now. I'll have to tidy up all the mud in here, anyhow." The small crowd in his tent could tell he was trying to keep them calm. So, trying to humor him, they left; but not before Juniper told them that if anything (including them) approached the tent, it was as good as dead.

The group took that warning to heart, knowing by the look in her eyes she could make it happen.

"Why do you care?" Tanis whispered, curiosity at last forcing him to ask. Juniper turned towards him, looking him in eyes, but he could tell she was somewhere else.  
"He reminds me of…of what it's like to be pure again," was her reply.


	4. Bedroom Hymns

_Author's Notes: All of the (few) people reading this, i thank you for paying attention to me, but i am a greedy person- i need love, people. And lots of it! And no need to fear, because all affection will be returned. By the way, i do not own this, nor will i any time soon. I also named this chapter after one of my favourite Florence and the Machine songs (which i also do not own). This chapter is why it is rated T- nothing graphic, but...suggestive is a good word. Alright, i will let you continue the story now! Thanks again for feeding my ego problem (:_

It had been about three hours since the "incident", and Juniper storming outside his tent. Torn by indecision, Tasslehoff leaned out of his tent, sticking his head in the brisk night air.  
"Would you like to come inside?"

Juniper started, crouching and turning towards him, a dagger in hand.

"Oh," she whispered softly, putting the dagger up when she saw him. "Yes, I suppose," she said hesitantly. Standing, the young woman followed him into the tent.

Tasslehoff sat on the pallet and patted the spot next to him, indicating where she should sit.

"On the bed? B-both of us?" she managed to make her shaky voice say. Raising a questioning eyebrow, Tas looked her over.  
"Something wrong with that?"

Seeing that he was fine with it, thoughts of herself tackling him danced through her mind. Instead, she sat calmly beside him.

"Ever been to Solace?" he said innocently. Is he aware what even goes on in the bedroom? Juniper asked herself silently. "It really is a lovely place," he continued, "but beware the draconians nowadays. We'll have to help fix up the place when this is over..." he said softly. Sighing, Juniper asked her question while she had her opportunity.

"Tas," she started before she lost her nerve, "are you aware of what ravishing Blushing, Tas looked away.

"Well, err, yes, I suppose," he whispered.  
"All right. Just wondering." she did her best to remain indifferent, even though she felt oddly happy. At least I won't have to draw a diagram, she thought. Insane giggles bubbled inside of her, trying to escape. She forced herself to remain calm.

"D-did you want to t-try?" he stuttered. She narrowed her eyes.

"Try wha-" she gasped as she realized. "Oh, that. Well. If, um, if you wanted to…" she said awkwardly. "But, I… just thought you might like to…wait," she whispered.  
"I've never been with someone before, and I always wondered," he said, looking away. "I never saw reason. But you, you're so… hypnotizing. I don't know whether to adore you or fear you. I don't even know you!" he yelled, jumping up from the cot. "How can I feel like this towards a stranger?" he seemed to have forgotten she was there with him, watching him pace back and forth.

"Then get to know me."  
That was the only warning Tas had before he was shoved onto the cot.

Gasping in surprise, he watched Juniper land on him, one leg on either side of his hips. Smiling, she ran her hand down the front of his shirt, expertly unbuttoning it. Then she pushed him down against the bed, delight and lust making her forget fatigue.

"Take my word for it, Tas," she whispered in his ear, "you were missing out," then, instinct taking over, Tas kissed her passionately, both of them throwing their arms around each other. His dexterous fingers quickly undoing her blouse, he realized he had indeed been missing out.

"You really are quite pretty in the early sun," Juniper said, smiling at the naked kender lying beside her. He blushed, still unused to flattery. Laughing, the human woman shook her head.  
"After last night, I thought you'd have forgotten modesty. Honestly, though, blushing makes you even more beautiful. If you keep up at it, everyone that didn't hear us last night sure will hear us this morning," she leaned towards him, smiling.

"Well, I…don't exactly know what happens from here," he whispered, looking into her dark, green eyes. She seemed to invite him into her arms, beckoning him. He knew she would always be there for him. And he knew he would be there for her, too.

"We should probably get dressed, first," she said. "But if you don't want to, I have no objections," she said cheekily, winking at him and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

He smiled, knowing he was redder than Raistlin's robes. Thinking about the mage quickly sobered him up. What about everyone else? What would happen? What would-

"Don't worry, love. Anyone even suggests anything you don't like, and, well…I probably don't have to tell you what happens then," she said, slipping her supporting arm around the lithe kender. Smiling, Tas wrapped his arm around her, too, glad that she could understand him without even having to ask.

"Do you still want to learn how to pick locks?" he said. Juniper laughed, the sound oddly warm and cold all at once. It was still awkward, but in a comfortable, self-confident way. Tas hoped he had helped in that.

"I suppose so. Could always come in handy. I mean, if I could undo someone's lock, they mustn't really be trying to keep me out, right?" Sighing, she laid back on the makeshift bed.

"Do we have to leave? I mean, I really don't feel like moving. But I guess we should. Do you think we should just tell them, or let them nose their way into what's happened between us? Ooh, we *could* leave clues all around… Quick, hand me your underwear!"

She said this in such a seriously enthusiastic tone that Tasslehoff was scared he would find his undergarments hanging from a tree, flapping like a flag in the wind.  
"No, that's not a good idea," he said quickly. Sighing, Juniper started to pull her clothes on.

"Fine. But you will be punished for being uncooperative," she said, giving a sly smile.

Tanis had, like everyone else, heard what had happened last night. Somehow, he knew that this would be good for them, two wanderers to find root in each other. He decided he would let them approach him if they thought it necessary... Which seemed unreasonable, but it was possible. Most likely, she would hook the kender to her belt loop and not let a soul touch him.

Tanis thought the girl was useful; she could cook, clean, fight, and was willing to learn. But something about her was…unnerving. She was fiercely protective, though that was obvious.

She wasn't exactly invincible, though. What was that scene about at the stream? What had made her so guilt-ridden? And why had she chosen the small, innocent, naive kender as her ward? He decided then that he had changed his mind.  
He would approach them.

"Flint," Tasslehoff called loudly, "come here!" Reluctantly, the old dwarf turned towards Tas.  
"What do you want?" the dwarf said gruffly. Tas was hurt by his tone, and backed away.  
"I just wanted to ask you why you seem angry with me," he said in a soft tone. Sighing, Flint shook his head.

"Look, Tas. I don't mean to be rude, but I just don't know if you're ready for… this kind of relationship. It's all a little too fast," he said in a sympathetic voice, patting Tas's shoulder.

Sighing, Tas thought of how he could explain the odd affinity they felt towards each other. His mind came up blank.

"Flint, I can't explain what we feel. It'd be like trying to tell you exactly how to know the right moment to twist a lock, or where to hold the wire; you just feel it," he said softly, staring dreamily into the distance.

There was a pause as Flint mulled over his words. The dwarf snorted.  
"Bah! How to twist a lock! Reorx's beard, you really do have rocks for brains!" he yelled, stomping off as he grumbled to himself. The kender smiled, knowing he had convinced the old dwarf to trust her.


End file.
